Automatic lawn sprinkler



ATTORNEY May 10, 1927.

F. FRYE AUTOMATIC LAWN SPRINKLER Filed May 28, 1924 W wm a 7 R a F B 5 3 x 2 1 3. m a m .1 y 8 mo 5 2 3 2 1 M. y i|| 1 |IF\I.,J @M.WIIIW i w IIIWI 2 1 F 6 M Patented May 10, 1921..

UNITEDSTATES near I. nuts, or cnnvnump, 01110. i

aurona'rrc Lawn srnncnnnn.

Application filed Kay 28; 1924. Serial No. 716,364.

This invention relates to sprinkler devices and more especially to lawn sprinklers ofthe character which provide a disappearing sprinkler head which automatically recedes within the ground to the level of the lawn surface when the water pressure is shut ofi by a valve in the supply pipe.

It is my purpose in this disclosure to set forth a suitable automatic means for not only raising the spray head when the water 18 turned on by the said valve, but also for automatically controlling the spray sheet of water as the pressure in the supply pipe line varies because of use of the water suppressure.

' pensate ply by other parties to a point that the pressure falls accordingly, and which by mechanism heretofore used, resulted in .a great variance in the character of sheet discharged from the nozzle, as the result of this varying It has been old for some time to provide nozzles of this type with means for adjustment to vary the water sheet discharged from the nozzle, and it has been possible to adjust the nozzle to furnish the desired character of spray with aparticular pressure in the supply line; but this adjustment cannot well be made asfoften as the pressurechanges,

and it is well known that this ressure varies greatly through the day an on different days, depending somew l perature of the air. At some hours the pressure suffers a quite abrupt change, and I a little later again reverts. to the average pres- .sure for the-hour and season.-

' It is an object of my invention, therefore,

to provide a spray nozzle having adjustable -parts to determine the. size of water sheet to be-dischar ed therefrom, but which shall be controlle directly by the water pressure in the sprinkling mechanism, so that, as the pressure varies for any reason, the parts discharging the water spray will by the same pressure be adjusted to comfor the variation, and thereby result in an even spray sheet from a varying ressure of supply and this without manna adjustment of the nozzle at any time. This is agrea'tly improved construction for which there has been a great demand, and which is believed to be practicable and readily applied where ever lawn sprinklers are installed.

"This-- invention further consists in the novel feonstruc tion, arrangement and combinati ofparts, members and features, il-

at upon the temlustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out'in'the appended claims.

In the drawings: Ifigure 1 is a vertical section of my device Wh1Ch latter is shown in retracted position below the surface of the ground;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the :praymg head and cylinder in raised posiion;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken in a plane just above the intermediate plate;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken in a 7 plane below the intermediate plate;

Figure 5 is a vertical section showing a modified form of the upper parts of the spraying mechanism, and

Figure 6 IS a transverse section of the modified form just above the base of the sprayhea d.

Referring to the drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the specification, 1O designates generally the sprinkler, and more especially the fixed cylinder secured in position in the lawn, the upper end 12 being substantially level with t e lawn surface 35, and the lower end 13 adapted to be secured by a threaded opening 14 to a suitable supply pipe connected to a source of water supply. a v

Within the cylinder 10 the inner cylinder 11 is mounted for vertical movement therein, it having certain beaded structure 25'used to receive externally suitable packing 27,. and providing an interior trough or groove 26. Within, this oove is fixed the circular plate or disk 28 arving central portions 31 notched out leaving radial arms 29 which are bent upward and inward at 30 to provide a guiding aperture through which the vertical stem 18 may reciprocate. The

inner face of the base 13 is formed with a reduced shoulder 15 to receive the lower end of the cylinder 11 when the latter is in the lower position. The lower end of the stem 18 is made non-circular as at 19 and it re-- ciprocates in a fixed guide having arms 1d secured to the shoulders 15 with openings 17 between the arms and a central aperture for thepart 19. The latter is provided with a .pair of cotter pins/21 and 22 to limit the upper and lower movement of the stem,

said cotter ins being arranged respectively above an below the guide. v

. The upper end of the stem is secured to the spray head 23,usually by threadmg the the surface 36, and is normally spaced from such surface the thickness 33 of the spray sheet. The inner edge of the fixed cylinder 10 at its upper end is notched out at 34 to provide a neat fit when the edges of the head and the flange 32 recede to the surface I level asshown in Fig. 1.-

Iti's to be noted especially that the guide having the arms 16, is fixed to the part 13- usually integral therewith, so that if the lower end 19 is non-circular as,'for example,

20 square in cross-section designated by 20 in Fig. 4, the c linder 10 will prevent relative rotation of t e stem and its head.

' i O eration: It is clear that the stem and its hea may reciprocate substantially the distance between the cotter pins and that they ma move together within the outer fixed cylinder 10. When, therefore, the parts are assembled in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the spray head is in the lowered position of the former view, a rush of water upward throu h the openings 17 from the supply pipe be ow when the control valve is opened, will rise until the plate 28 is reached where an upward pressure will be exerted thereagai-nst causing the raising of the parts 11, 18 and 23 together, until the pin 21 strikes the lower face of the fixed guide,

when-the stem and head will be held against farther upward movement. In the meantime, thewater will continue to flow upward through the'openings 31 in the plate 28 un-- tilultimately, the cavity between parts 23 and 28 is filled and an hydraulic pressure Wlll be exerted both against the lower surface 36 of the spray head 23, and the upper surface of the. plate 28.

Thepressure of the water within this cavity finally separates-the fiange 32 from the head .23, since cylinder 11 is yieldable, until escape-is provided for the water in an annular sheet through the space 33. While this hydraulic pressure tends to open the spray head; a compensating tendency to close the space 33 arises because of the slightly reduced ressure on'the surface 36 resulting from t e ielief afforded by the escaping liquid through 33, and consequent reduction ofpressure on the uppersurface of part 28 by the same relief; the pressure on the lower surface of plate 28 remaining substantially constant. When, therefore, the internal pressure on the wailsof the said cavity is reduced, the pressure on the "lower surface of plate 28 tends to close the space 33, while an increase of such internal pressure tends near the limit of an enclosure,-i

" effectually to automatically control the volume of water in the spray sheet. this automatic action will vary in accord- And ance with the pressure of water in the supply source. -It resultsthcrefore that the parts 11 and 23 are adJuSted'autOmaticaIly by the water pressure itself, the sheet being reduced as the pressure is increased, and en-,

lar ed by the increased space at 33 as the hydraulic pressure of the supply is lowered. This is a very desirable result and not, to my knowledge, before accomplished.

In some conditions it may be desirable to limit the arc-within which the water may escape about the head 23. I have. provided the modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. Here the lower parts of the mechanism are substantially identical with those shown in the main form. The spray head 45, however, is not formed conical in contour, but is provided with a lower extension 42 fittin closely the cylinder 11 about a portion 0 said extension at 46 and spaced at 47 from the cylinder and leading to the space 33 at will be used, for example, at the corner of 11,

building where the extent of spray should be limited to 45 degrees only, and not permitted to be thrown against the building or a wall thereof; The automatic control of the space at 33 is identical with] that in the other views. This modified form may also be used when hich case it may be desirable to limit the pray sheet to the lot-in whichit i's'located. Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lawn sprinkler comprising a body portion, a spraying device mounted for reciprocation in said body portion, means for automatically raisin the spraying device above the body portion, said means operat-:

ing to automatically adjust the volume of water emitted from said spraying device.

'2. A lawn sprinkler comprising ,a' bodv portion, a spraying device mounted withiii 3.. A lawn sprinkler comprising a cylin drical body portion, a spraying device mounted w1thin said body portion for ver tical reciprocation. therein and comprising an open-ended cylinder and a conical spray,

- upwardly against the plate and spray device between the cylinder edges and the p spray 1 connected at. its lower end tosaid body porhead fitting in said cylinder with its ed es overlapping the same and freely mova relative to the cylinder within defined limits, and an apertured plate secured to-and within said cylinder remote from thespray head, whereby hydraulic pressure applheg ea will raise the spraying device above the body portion, and operate to automatically a )ust the volume of water emitted from said head.

. 4. A lawn sprinkler comprising'a stationary body portion, a spraying device mounted for reciprocation in said bodi portion and comprising a hollow-cylin er, spray head movable toward and from the upper end of the cylinder to close and open the same and a bar within the cylinder secured at one end to said spray head and tion to limit its vertical movement in both directions, and an apertured plate surrounding said barand secured to and within said cy inder whereby hydraulic pressure of liquid upon said plate within the cylinder may automatically adjust the parts of'the.

' sprayin g device. 4

5. A awn sprinkler comprisinfi two hollow cylinders mounted telescopica y one embedded in the ground and the other mofvable axially within tliefirst, an apertured plate secured within the stationary cylinder and spaced somewhat from itslower end,.a plate having a central aperture and secured within the movable cylinder, a spray head movableto open "and close the upper end of the movable cylinder and control means having free movement through the central. aperture of the movable plate and having limited move-' ment relative to the stationar plate, for

the spray ead.

. 6. A lawn sprin er com rising two hol-' low cylinders arranged/tie escopic'ally, the inner one movable within the other, the upper end of the .inner cylinder having a spray head for closing the same and an ap-' ertured plate fixedly secured to a lower part .thereof, and means connected with the sta- 'tionary cylinder for limiting the reciprocationofthe spray head, whereby hydraulic pressure against the head and 'plate' from below will cause a, limited upward move- ;ment of the head and cylinder, and, when will control the relative spacing movement of the cylinder and the spray head, dependingupon the force of such pressure. Y

7. A lawn sprinkler comprising two tale: sco ically arranlgedcylinders, the inner cyl in er bemg hol ow, a circular plate having a central aperture and fixedly sec to .the inner surface of the mova le cylinder, a spray head ada ted to cover the upper end of the'latter an having a limited arcof its periphery mainder of its periphery cylindrical in shape, whereby movement of the spra head above the end of the inner cylinder wi limit the spray sheet emittedtherefrom to a predetermined arc'only, a rod movable through said ,aperture' and spra head and having means at the other for imitin the extent of its 'reciprocation relative to t e outerlflylinder.

8. A lawn s'pr'" er comprisinga stationary, hollow body havin an outwardly flanged end, a; hollow cylin er movable axially in said body, a spray head havin free but limited movement relative to said cylinder and having aninclined lateral surfacefitting in said cylinder overhanging the same, the cylinder havln an outward y-flanged end,'and an aperture plate secured to and within the said cyl- .inder intermediate its ends," for raising-the imi'ted in its movement by connections with I the outer cylinder, and means operated by conical in form and the re- U secured at one end to said a end with its edges the pressure of the flowing water for rais- 'ing the inner cylinder and spray head to a.

working position above the'surface of the und and adjusting the relative position of the cylinder and head to vary the quantit of liquid emitted therefrom. f

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. I v

' BAY F.- 

